Pro Tip Stay Connected

Pro Tip 6/17/14 By Chris Peterson, PGA Teaching Professional

Stay Connected

After watching the US Open this weekend I saw something very similar with the two players in the last group on Sunday, Martin Kaymer and Rickie Fowler. Besides their incredible short games, their golf swings are very similar in the way they use the club as just an extension of their shoulder turn. What I mean by this is that they are not trying to swing the club with their arms but they are using their shoulders and chest muscles to get the club back. Their arms are an extension of the shoulders and chest and used mainly just to connect you to the club.

Two helpful hints to stay more connected on the backswing:

Keep the angle of your body as you turn back away from the target with your shoulders and chest.

Try to keep your back elbow tucked in and connected close to your body.

As you can see, Rickie keeps the angle of his body the same throughout the backswing and his right elbow is in tight and connected to his body.

This is why strong core muscles can be so useful for the golf swing. Probably a good reason why these guys were in the last group on Sunday of the US Open and why they bomb it over 300 yards!!